This will be Red Bull Flugtag’s debut in the Twin Cities, and this Land of 10,000 Lakes promises to deliver quite a show. July 24, more than 30 teams from across the Midwest will fly above the Mississippi River in front of thousands at Harriet Island Regional Park near Downtown St. Paul.

Red Bull Flugtag challenges the brave and brainy to design, build and pilot homemade flying machines off a 30-foot high flight deck in hopes of soaring into the wild blue yonder…or often, plunging into the waters below. Flugtag, which means “flying day” in German, pushes the envelope of human-powered flight, but competitors need more than airtime to reach the podium. Teams are judged on three criteria: flight distance, creativity of the craft, andshowmanship. This criteria has inspired flying tacos, prehistoric pterodactyls, winnebagos with wings and even Snoopy and the gang to grace the Flugtag flight decks! And after a year with no Red Bull Flugtags in the US, 2010 promises to be bigger and better than ever.

Since the first Red Bull Flugtag took place in Vienna, Austria, in 1991, more than 80 Flugtags have been held around the globe, attracting up to 300,000 spectators for a single event.

]]>http://minneapolis.metblogs.com/2010/03/26/citypages-wine-tasting-tonight/feed/1Fall, Winter, Potholes, Springhttp://minneapolis.metblogs.com/2010/03/04/fall-winter-potholes-spring/
http://minneapolis.metblogs.com/2010/03/04/fall-winter-potholes-spring/#commentsThu, 04 Mar 2010 06:47:27 +0000http://minneapolis.metblogs.com/?p=6539It’s pothole season, and if you haven’t heard, MPR News has a great site where you can map and track the area’s major road holes. Although not an official method of reporting them, the site has city and county links below the interactive map to let the correct channels know about the swiss cheese of roadways. The suspension on our cars will soon thank us.

Cole Koehler and Ben Krueger’s Doritos commercial was picked from over 4,000 entries and won one of three Super Bowl ad spots purchased by Doritos. They only found out when it aired in the last quarter of the game.
Which commercial was your favorite? I also liked the Betty White/Snickers one. Check out the other ads on Hulu:

]]>http://minneapolis.metblogs.com/2010/02/07/locals-win-super-bowl-spot/feed/0Pics from Art Sled Rallyhttp://minneapolis.metblogs.com/2010/02/01/pics-from-art-sled-rally/
http://minneapolis.metblogs.com/2010/02/01/pics-from-art-sled-rally/#commentsTue, 02 Feb 2010 04:05:28 +0000http://minneapolis.metblogs.com/?p=6341Here are some pics from Powderhorn Park’s Art Sled Rally last weekend. I didn’t know this before, but there were no prizes for competitors… everyone raced solely for the glory of the sledding. A favorite sled of the day was a Pacman themed one (no pics of that one though–my fingers got too cold to take them out of my coat). Props to the creativity of the sleds and courage of the riders. P.S. No sledders were injured in the following crashes…
]]>http://minneapolis.metblogs.com/2010/02/01/pics-from-art-sled-rally/feed/0Faster than a speeding…http://minneapolis.metblogs.com/2010/01/29/faster-than-a-speeding/
http://minneapolis.metblogs.com/2010/01/29/faster-than-a-speeding/#commentsSat, 30 Jan 2010 03:52:04 +0000http://minneapolis.metblogs.com/?p=6317Bathtub?

“We believe part of a healthy existence is being outside a little bit at all times of year, and part of a healthy community is getting together as often as possible, especially during the coldest and most isolating parts of the year.

We chose to create a mass sledding spectacle, in part, for the history of mass winter events at Powderhorn Park that began around a hundred years ago.You will find pictures of incredible pageantry, throngs of people and fantastically sculptured luge tracks in Powderhorn from the early 1900s on up through the sixties. We would like to see this organized enthusiasm for winter activities continue.”

Nothing more enthusiastic than cardboard bathtubs racing down snow-covered hills! Join the fun! Should be a little warmer tomorrow.

Since last night was the fourth Tuesday of the month, the poets were out in style. I went to the Poetry Slam at Keiran’s Irish Pub, and recommend going if you haven’t ever seen them. These master wordsmiths perform their original works about roadkill, love and everything inbetween. Check out their website for other events as well.

]]>http://minneapolis.metblogs.com/2010/01/27/slam-mn/feed/0Customer Column: Franklin St. Bakery and Rosedale Weight Watchershttp://minneapolis.metblogs.com/2009/12/10/customer-column-franklin-st-bakery-and-rosedale-weight-watchers/
http://minneapolis.metblogs.com/2009/12/10/customer-column-franklin-st-bakery-and-rosedale-weight-watchers/#commentsThu, 10 Dec 2009 17:01:45 +0000http://minneapolis.metblogs.com/?p=6003Let me first say, it is my belief that customer service should be consistent enough to judge on one random visit. This was the protocol for a place I worked in college–there would be a random, anonymous visit from someone posing as a customer once a month to score us. Having a bad day was never to be taken out on the customer, and was even grounds for being fired. If someone was new and fumbling with orders, they could always make up points for being courteous and treating customers with respect.

So, the reviews in these columns are based on one visit. Think of it as the random, anonymous blogger, making no claims to reviewing-authority, simply reporting on their first impressions of customer service. That being said, here are two positive experience I had in the last week.

Franklin Street Bakery=A
In contrast to my last column, Franklin Street Bakery gave me the feeling that bakeries should: warm, sweet and a leaving a good aftertaste.

I asked the same thing as I did at a previous bakery, “Can you warm these up for me?” and the nice young man in skinny jeans said “of course,” instead of *audible sigh* “Not really.”

Smiles were aplenty and service was gracious and patient, even though the shop was busy and customers had questions. And the donuts, though more than I usually like to pay per pastry, always taste better when you leave with a smile. No wonder it’s won 4 “Best Bakery” awards.

Franklin Street Bakery

1020 E Franklin Avenue

Grade: A+

What was your experience?

Rosedale Weight Watchers Center=A+
The new Weight Watchers store in Rosedale Mall really impressed me with their customer service. My husband and I were Christmas shopping for my mother in law, who’s doing great on the Weight Watchers program, when we spotted the new shop. Unfortunately, the store wasn’t open yet, and the ladies inside were only setting up for the grand opening the following day. They however, kindly let us in, shop around for some recipe books, and purchase gifts before their cash register was even up and running. A hand-written receipt and plenty of warm smiles let us leave very thankful they went above and beyond what was necessary.

Rosedale Weight Watchers Center

Grade= A+

2018 Rosedale Center
What was your experience?

]]>http://minneapolis.metblogs.com/2009/12/10/customer-column-franklin-st-bakery-and-rosedale-weight-watchers/feed/6Customer Column: A Baker’s Wife=Fhttp://minneapolis.metblogs.com/2009/12/09/customer-service-a-bakers-wifef/
http://minneapolis.metblogs.com/2009/12/09/customer-service-a-bakers-wifef/#commentsWed, 09 Dec 2009 23:16:26 +0000http://minneapolis.metblogs.com/?p=5986Courtesy is really quite simple. Anyone in marketing knows customers do not just buy a product, they buy a feeling. And it’s everyone’s job, from the manager, to the window-washer to the cashier, to make that a positive feeling.

Therefore, I am starting a new column, to expose the good, and more often, the bad restaurants and shops in the Minneapolis area in terms of customer service. And if any higher management sees their shop and wants to give me free vouchers in consolation or appreciation of my reviews, so be it…

First up on the list: A Baker’s Wife

4200 28th Ave S, Minneapolis

Grade: F

My visit to A Baker’s Wife was preceded by glowing reviews of the bakery and service. You can imagine my chagrin then, when our experience was the complete opposite of that. Someone should give two of the workers here a lesson in basic customer service. Let me try:

1. When customers ask if you have another flavor of pastry, do not roll your eyes, refuse to speak and merely point at the flavors you do have.

2. Always say “yes” first, when a customer asks you a simple favor, and then figure out how to do it (like “can you warm these up for me?”). Do not say “Not really.”

(Bonus): Call your customers back. When said customer calls Gary, the owner of the A Baker’s Wife, on two separate occasions to voice their concerns, and Gary refuses to call them back both times, it makes said customer think this treatment was the usual protocol.

I understand this is a small bakery, the lines are often long, and they try to give you quick service, but courtesy is so easy and goes such a long way. I also understand that this could have been the biggest fluke in the world. But because of our treatment here, we won’t be returning, and in my book, A Baker’s Wife receives the ‘F’ to judge all other ‘F’s.